May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Moderation

n. calm, thoughtful formal

What it means

The practice or quality of avoiding harmful or unnecessary extremes.

Reach for it when praising balanced limits without assuming that every issue has a virtuous midpoint

Moderation let the group enjoy the feast without turning it into a contest.

Words to choose between 9

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

  • everyday

    reasonable limits

    Fits when plain language should name acceptable boundaries

    Careful What counts as reasonable can conceal unequal risks or power.

  • warm

    balance

    Fits when competing needs receive sustainable proportions

    Careful Balance can be dynamic and does not always mean limiting excess.

  • professional

    restraint

    Fits when someone deliberately limits force, expression, or consumption

    Careful Restraint can feel imposed and does not necessarily select a balanced level.

  • professional

    self-control

    Fits when managing impulses is the central capacity

    Careful Self-control places responsibility on the person and may ignore environmental pressure.

  • formal

    proportion

    Fits when the right relationship among amounts matters

    Careful Proportion is structural and does not imply deliberate self-restraint.

  • formal

    sobriety

    Fits when seriousness, restraint, or abstinence from intoxication is central

    Careful Sobriety is much narrower in common use and may imply recovery status.

  • formal

    temperance

    Fits when self-control over appetite or alcohol is specifically intended

    Careful Temperance carries moral and historical associations and is narrower than moderation.

  • literary

    measure

    Fits when an appropriate limit or proportion is meant

    Careful Measure is ambiguous and sounds archaic in this sense.

  • literary

    middle course

    Fits when a path between extremes is deliberately chosen

    Careful A middle course can be a weak compromise when one position is harmful.

Opposites 3

  • excess
  • extremism
  • immoderation

Common phrases 3

  • in moderation

    Strong flavors work best in moderation in this delicate dish.

  • exercise moderation

    The editor chose to exercise moderation rather than remove every unusual phrase.

  • sense of moderation

    A sense of moderation kept the response firm without becoming punitive.

Usage notes

Keep in mind

Moderation is not automatically wise. On safety, rights, or factual truth, a midpoint can be worse than a well-supported firm position.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Wodencafe, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated